Among silver-screen romances, the Blake Lively-led odyssey across time, “The Age of Adaline,” isn’t exactly the most revered. Really, it’s barely even acknowledged, much to my campaign’s chagrin. The film is, however, one of my genre favorites for several reasons. First, it’s an old-fashioned love story with a fantastical twist: Lively’s character dies in a car crash but is revived when she’s struck by lightning, only to stop aging forever. Second, it marks a solid finale for a genre largely relegated to streaming, because for some odd reason, film executives don’t understand how powerful a collective romantic experience outside your living room can be. The guys making mid-to-high six-figure salaries aren’t connected with the average lovelorn, longing moviegoer — go figure!
But what I really love about “The Age of Adaline” is that it understands the heart. It’s a film that knows yearning doesn’t cease no matter how long we live, and that it’s all too easy to let fear complicate what should be easy. All this is wrapped up in one great line: “It’s not the same without growing old together. Without that, love is just heartbreak.” After it’s all said and done, isn’t this what guides our desires, the hope that we can find someone whose very presence can turn the innate tragedy of losing one another in death into something beautiful?
